An Ethical Dilemma

Myron had just graduated from West Coast University with both chemistry-pharmacy and business degrees and was excited to work for Producto International (PI). He loved having the opportunity to discover medicinal products around the world. His wife, Quan, was also enthusiastic about her job as an import-export agent for a subsidiary of PI.

Producto International was the industry leader, with headquarters in Paris. Worldwide, hundreds of small firms were competing with PI; however, only six had equivalent magnitude. These six had cornered 75 percent of world sales. So many interrelationships had developed that competition had become “managed.” However, this did not constitute any illegal form of monopolistic behavior as defined by the European Union.

Myron’s first assignment was in India and concerned exporting betel nuts to South and perhaps North America. It is estimated that more than 20 million people chew betel nuts in India alone. The betel nut is one of the world’s most popular plants, and its leaf is used as a paper for rolling tobacco. The betel nut is also mashed or powdered with other ingredients and rolled up in a leaf and sold as candy. Myron quickly found that regular use of the betel nut, in time, stains the mouth, gums, and teeth a deep red, which in Asia is a positive quality. As Myron was learning more about the betel nut, he came across the following report from the People’s Republic of China: “Studies show that the chewing of the spiced betel nut can lead to oral cancer. According to research, 88 percent of China’s oral cancer patients are betel nut chewers. Also, people who chew betel nuts and smoke are 90 times more likely to develop oral cancer than nonusers.” Myron found that the betel nut primarily affects the central nervous system. It increases respiration while decreasing the workload on the heart (a mild high). Myron also found that demand for it was starting to emerge in the United States as well as in other developed countries....